Awards season is officially ramping up with the Critics Choice Association capping off what’s been an active week with their nominations for the 31st annual Critics Choice Awards. Heading into the announcement, Paul Thomas Anderson‘s Oscar favorite, One Battle After Another, was the hot hand, taking home Best Film at both the Gotham Awards and the New York Film Critics Circle Awards. However, this time, it fell short in the race for most nominations to another massive breakout title. It’s instead Ryan Coogler‘s original vampire flick Sinners that led the pack with 17, followed by the Leonardo DiCaprio hit at 14. Both are also up for Best Picture.
Sinners and One Battle are also notably matching up in the Best Actor and Director categories, where DiCaprio, Michael B. Jordan, Anderson, and Coogler are all nominated. They’re not the only red-hot features to get their flowers, though. Joining them in the Best Picture category are Guillermo del Toro‘s Netflix epic, Frankenstein, and Chloé Zhao‘s Shakespeare story Hamnet, both of which tied for third with 11 nominations apiece. Rounding out the list of competitors for the top honors are Bugonia, Jay Kelly, Train Dreams, Marty Supreme, Sentimental Value, and Wicked: For Good.
That Sinners is getting so much recognition is not entirely a shock. Coogler‘s bloody, stylish thriller, following twin brothers played by Jordan as they seek a fresh start in their hometown, only to find fresh evils lurking there amid the Jim Crow era, was hailed as a breath of fresh air upon its release, becoming the highest-grossing original horror film ever. The nominations also honor the entire powerhouse ensemble, with both Wunmi Mosaku and Miles Caton getting nods in the Supporting Actress and Young Performer categories. It was an early and much-needed win for Warner Bros. that kicked off a year of box office domination, alongside A Minecraft Movie, Superman, Weapons, and more. A big showing at the CCAs would only be the icing on the cake and signal good things ahead at the Oscars.
‘Wicked: For Good’ Follows Up Its Dominance Last Year With Noticeable Absences
While last year saw Wicked go toe-to-toe with Conclave for dominance at the Critics Choice Awards, this year saw the second part of the musical adaptation missing a few key names. Not included among the honorees, despite being seen as potential Oscar nominees, were director Jon M. Chu and star Cynthia Erivo. It still had much to celebrate this year, with recognition for Ariana Grande as a Supporting Actress and for its technical brilliance. Another curious absence was Sentimental Value from the foreign language category, which was instead headlined by the Palme d’Or winner, It Was Just an Accident. That, at least, can be explained away by a new rule that makes any Best Picture nominees ineligible to also appear among the international features, thus giving more films a chance to receive recognition.
Not to be forgotten in the shuffle is the Best Animated Feature category, headlined by Netflix‘s global breakout hit, KPop Demon Hunters, which also earned a nod for “Golden” in Best Song. The women of HUNTR/X have some tough competition, though, going up against Neon‘s acclaimed Arco and Disney’s box office-dominating Zootopia 2, as well as Little Amélie or the Character of Rain, Elio, and In Your Dreams.
The Critics Choice Awards ceremony will announce the winners live on E! and USA Network on January 4, 2026. Check out the full list of nominations on the official CCA website.
via Collider